The initial goal of assessment should be to get to know your student. One may achieve this through a student, parent, and if necessary, teacher survey.
Questions should be aimed at gaining insight into a student’s current feelings towards reading, and what may be the cause of such feelings.
For example, an important question one may ask is: “Would you consider yourself a good reader, why or why not?” This question, although seemingly simple, can reveal a lot. A student with little knowledge of what makes someone a good reader may say: “I’m not a good reader because I am always one page behind my friends and I hate being the last one to finish.” Whereas a student who truly understands what it means to read and is aware of their difficulties may respond: “I am not a good reader because I do not understand what I am reading. No matter how fast or slow I read I am unable to retell what I just read. The words don’t sink in my brain.”
Another important type of question to ask is one that reveals student interest.
For example an important question may be: “What activities do you enjoy doing outside of school?” or “What is your favorite book to read and why is it your favorite.”
By obtaining information about your student’s interests in reading and outside of school you will be able to make learning more meaningful in the future.
For example, if a student explains that they love basketball and that their favorite book was a Michael Jordan biography because they were able to learn what life was like for their hero as a kid, you would want to be sure to include a sports option in later assessments or instruction.
As educators, we understand the importance of activating prior knowledge and recalling background knowledge when reading and writing. By surveying student interests we reveal a surefire topic in which our student will have the necessary information in order to be successful.
Surveys should also be provided to student’s parents and/or teachers in order to receive an outside perspective into your student’s abilities and struggles.
An important question should be aimed at uncovering any learning difficulties that would impact your student’s ability to read.
Such difficulties may include diagnosed disabilities, the fact that another language is spoken at home, or any undocumented struggles that a parent or teacher may have noticed.
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